Collapsible ladder



(No Model.) 4 sheets -sheet 1.

A. LEO. UOLLAP$IBLE LADDER.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2'.

' A. LEO.

GOLLAPSIBLE LADDER.

Pia 501,950. Patented July 25,

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

- A. LEO.

GOLLAPSIBLE LADDER.

Patented July 25, 1893.

(No Model.) v. 4 She'tS-Sheet 4. A. LEO.

COLLAPSIBLE LADDER.

No. 501,950. Patented July 25, 1893.

' UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

ANSEL LEO, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

CO'LLAPSIBLE LADDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 501,950, dated July 25, 1893.

Application filed y ,1892. Serial No. 439.007. (No model.) Patented in England April 14, 1892, No. 7,205.

To all whom it may concern- Be it known that I, ANSEL LEO, sculptor, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at No. 18 Maclise Road, West Kensington Park, London, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Ladders, (for which I have received Letters Patent in England, No. 7,205, dated April 14, 1892;) and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in portable collapsible ladders, and its special object is to provide, by combining lightness with incombustibility and portability with steadiness and strength, a ladder better adapt: ed for use as a fire-escape after it has been paid out or dropped from an upper story, than those hitherto proposed or manufactured.

It consists in combining with a collapsible ladder a steadying head adapted to hold the ladder away from the wall front, as well as improved steadying stays. I attain the said special object by the mechanism and devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings adjacent rungs and a rigid stay.

which are to be taken as part of this specification and read therewith.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a ladder with a rigid head andwithout stays made according to my invention, showing it folded up or collapsed. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional elevation illustrating the connection between a pair of ladder-sections and a rung. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of an inside ladder-section and its rungs, illustrating the connection between the rungs and the section. Figs. 4 and 5 are, respectively, detail side and front elevations illustrating a modification of such connection. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a ladder made according to my invention hanging vertically from the sill of a second floor window and steadied by a series of rigid stays which bear against the front wall of the building. Fig. 7 is a detail front elevation, on an enlarged scale, of two Fig. 8 is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the top portion of a ladder fitted with a folding head and folding stays. The holding chains are broken off short. Fig. 9 is a detail front elevation on an enlarged scale illustrating the same type of stay. 7

a, a are, respectively, the outside and inside ladder-sections. They are made of any light, but tough or strong, metal, because of the incombustibility of this material, and are all of equal length. As many as maybe necessaryto provide the desired length of ladder-side are pivoted together end to end as hereinafter described.

The ladder-sections of one side are, respectively, opposite those of the other. Not only so, but the four ends of any pair of sectionsby pair of sections is to be understood two sections opposite to each otherare either outside or inside the adjacent four ends of the two pairs of sections above and below them. The pairs are therefore alternately outside and inside for the entire length of the ladder. This alternation provides for the ladder being collapsed or folded up into a comparatively small space in an exceedingly convenient way, and one which will have the effect of leaving it in the best condition for extending itself and assuming, by its own weight, the position proper for the purpose of my invention. All the sections of a side are in two planes which are parallel with and adj acent to each other. Consequently, when the ladder is folded together, or collapsed, each of the sections rests for its full length upon the one immediately underneath it.

b are the rungs. They are of a substantial thickness and are made out of some material which is light and does not readily get very hot, such as wood or paper, for when my improved ladder is to be used as a fire-escape, it is desirable that the rungs should keep tolerably cool. If the rungs are made of combustible material, they must be fire-proofed by any suitable process. The rungs and sections are held together, and the pairs of sections pivoted to the adjacent pairs, by light but strong metal tubes 0. Each of the latter is passed through a rung and the ends of the respective two inside and two outside ladder sections, the rungs being bored or otherwise made tubular according to the material used, and the ends of the ladder-sections having eyes 0 punched in them accordingly. The tube 0 fits so tightly upon the rung that the H m y burred over Washers c theouter sectionsare pivoted upon the said ends.

two are incapable of independent motion. The rung'is-made'fast to the respective'cnds of the inside ladder-section for the purpose of preventing it turning about its axis. This may be done in any convenient way, 6. g., by driving a pin or screw 0 throughthe end-0t the ladder-section into the rung, as illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 7; or by forming a tongue 0 on the edge of the eye 0 which is punched in each end of the ladder section, bending it inward and so causing it to enter the rung when the latterand theladdenseetion are brought together, as illustrated in Figsland 5. The tubes are therefore held fast to the inner ladder-sections, and as the ends of a tube pass through the respective four eyes c andare Theheador' topof thelladder consists of a pair of rigid triangles-each being 'bn'iltup'of three" bars d, d,d 'which" are convenientlyof the same size *as the ladder-sections. The head ispreferably of: the same width 'as the ladder, and the two triangles-are h'eld togethefi by transverse "ties d which 'connecttheiru'e spectively corresponding angles. Ifprefer-to' hold them together in the same-way as are the-sides of the ladder. The hea'dis pivoted tothe ladderby-one of" these ties; the one iniwhich thebars d, d meet-ywlrile the hold ingxchains e,-eare"n1adef fasti to theone in" which" the bars d, "d'meet. "ihese eha'ins'a-re. shown 'asiterminatin g in books 'e,e',:but this is:a?detail"which may beimodi'fiedas maybe convenienh'provided that the ch ainsarefirm-lyi and securely fixed to, thewva'llun'der the win-j dow (or'to'a balconyifloor if there be'onefifi the laddenis'tol be. used-as a fire=esca-pe. "If: it-is intended for other than life savingpur-l poses, the-connectionbetween the holding chains'and thewa-ll-fronflmay be a detach-5 able one or anyconvenienttype. f-

Thefunction :ofthe 'ladder-head'is topro-Q jectaridhold the top'rung'of the ladder at sufficient distance away from, e., infront of; the window" sill,: to 'provide'forthe ladder;

itself dropping. andhangin'g clear ofanypro jections, such-aswindow-headsor s'i'llsoror-" namental protuberances which itmayhave topasson itsway down.

' Thetwo bars 01', d with 'their 'transverse ties forrn a baseof'asufficient'depth to take twobearings according to the styleof archi lecture 01: thebu-ilding fromwhich' the clad-'2 deris to be used, "'-The bearings in thecasef ofap'lain 'building,as that in 6;a're the edge of thesill and theface ofi the-wall. In any case'there' must be two bearings. *These' need. not beverticallyone above the other, butun'less there are two, the "ladder-head} would "rock'with the "naturally more or less hurried treadof thosedescen-ding the'ladder.

When the ladder is pushed-out'of the'open" *win'dow, the'weight. ofit will forthwith adjust 'thei'head' in the positiondesori-be'd above and then begin to pull itself .toward the pave-f inent opening the sections'out.

The ladder-head illustrated inv Figs. land 6=is=a rigid one, v1. e.,it-cannot-be folded 'down or collapsed. Consequently, when theladder is standing upon a floor, collapsed and out of use, the head is almost necessarily at the top, thefoot'of theladder being next the floor wlth the rest of the ladder upon it. According to the modification illustrated in Fig. 8 each of Ythewbars marked d in'the two figures last a l-inks .in'each bar. z'l heihold in'g'chains e are consequently connected to the head at the junction of the pivoted bars with the opposite bars at instead of at the, junction of the bars d with the bars "(1' This-alteration 1s inevitable,- inasmuch as =provision -mustbe madefor the jointed 'ba-rs being im' tension when theladder is-fixdfor use.

When the'head ismadetotolddo'wnor-to collapse as described above;'it-becomespracticablefor "the collapsed ladder to'stand-u-pona floor-u-ponits-head. This po's'itiori'fadili-tates the'actof' paying the ladderout, inasmuch as; the "foot bf 'the -ladder beinguppermost, instead of iunderneath, itis notnecessary:v to

turn" the ladder upside -down;-nor" to*1-i*ft -it bod'il y. "Instead of bei-ng liftedbodily, the

ladder is paid out gradually, beginning with thefootyas a sailorpaysout arope.

I do-not confinemyselfto theuseofahead,

inasnruchas'the presencebt a=sufficient projeetionfrom' the bu i-ldi ng such asa-Wide' sill or a balcony, *nrightrender "the use-(Stone unnecessary. Whether-oneis-advisable or not i is to be decided by the specialci-rcnmstances to the outsides of' the i ladder; oppositeeach other, loymeans of a bolt f"" which-is; passed through themand the tu'beof'thern'ng immediately above-where the stay 'is-to bGiP-IO- duced. This is'done notW-hen the. ladder is made, but at the premises 1 or housesvhere it is'to be used, i-rr-orderthat the-staysmay be fixed' in thebest positions along the :ladder-seas to miss windows, -and to conform with the architectural deta'i-ls of the fagade generally. After as manyj-pairs ot "stay secti-onsas the circumstances of the" case"may require have been fixed to the 'ladder sides by boltsf'; the ladder is collapsed' and placed in the: position'ready'zfior use.

*When theladder iswantedfor 'usethe'stays are set-*commeneingwith the bottom stay-- in the following way which will be best understood by-a reference to Figs. 6 and 7. The pail of stay-sections f, f will be hanging from theirbolt f. The rung immediately below the middle one in Fig. 7is pulled or pushed backward out of the plane of the ladder until the next lower rung and the bottom eyes of the stay-sections coincide, when a bolt f is passed through the three, holding the staysections to the ladder in the same way as already described with reference to the bolt f, Care of course is to be taken that the stay is set in the proper direction forbearin g against the facade and not for sticking out from the opposite side of the ladder. The other stays are to be set out in the same way in the required position, the ladder being paid out as they are set one by one. The bolts f must all be taken out before the ladder can be collapsed again. When this has been effected, the stay-sections hang from their respective bolts f close up to the sides of the ladder.

Folding stays have this advantage over those just described, viz., that as they can be folded with the ladder, they can be fixed permanently to it, thereby dispensing with the above described. setting out of the stays each time the ladder is wanted and the subsequent taking out'of the bolts f The difierence in respect of construction between a rigid stay and a folding one is that the stay sections of the latter consist of links pivoted together.

Referring to Figs. 8 and 9, two stay-sections are shown by the full lines as consisting of three links 9,- g, g pivoted together by eyelets g or their equivalents. The united length of the three links is preferably equal to that of one ladder-section. I do not confine myself to the number of links in each of a pair of stay-sections so long as they will fold up. The dotted lines i illustrate one of a two link section. close together along the length of the ladder, two-link sections are preferable and may be necessary, as they fold together more closely than those made up of three lengths. These folding stays are attached to the ladder in the same way as the rigid ones, but, as already pointed out, permanently so. In Fig. 8 the major portion of the ladder shown is closely collapsed, the top stay being capable of folding up also. The bottom portion-the last three pairs of laddersections-is shown as dropping, the stay-sections belonging to it being half-extended. "Fig. 9 shows the formed stay,'the folding stay-sections being fully extended. The triangle formed by any stay will be either equilateral or isosceles according to the relative length of the stay-sections. The ladder having descended within reach If the stays are required I of any person standing ready, orthe person coming down it having reached the ground, it is by either made fast to the pavement in the .following manner: Two eyes h, h are let into the pavement at a distance apart equal to the width of the ladder, and to these the ladder-sides are, respectively, made fast by:

1. The combination in a collapsible ladder,

of pairs of ladder-sections, tubular rungs and central tubes holding the sections and rungs together.

2. The combination in a collapsible ladder, of tubular rungs, central tubes passed through the respective rungs and sections and holding them together, and devices for preventing the rungs moving about their respective axes.

3. The combination in a collapsible ladder of any adjoining pairs of sections, their three rungs and a pair of stay sections attachable to the rungs to'form a stay by connecting the terminal rungs of the three by the stay sections,'the intermediate rung and the ends of Y the sections adjoining thereto being ofiset from the plane of the ladder, as set forth.

4. The combination with a collapsible ladder of a collapsible head pivoted thereto, said head consisting of a pair of triangles each made by pivoting three bars to each other at their respective ends and three transverse ties holding the said triangles rigidly together in parallel planes at their respective angles,

the bars forming two opposite sides of the face of the head which is in tension when the ladder is in use consisting of shorter bars of links pivoted together by their ends, as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 25th day of May, 1892.

ANSEL LEO. Witnesses:

GHAs. S. Woonnorrn, 22 Southampton Buildings, London, W C.

THOMAS LAKE, e 28 Southampton Buildings, London; 

